In the future, you will go out with your keyboard instead of a laptop.
In the future, you will go out with a headset and a pair of gloves instead of your keyboard.
In the future, your computer will go out for you.
Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
71–80 of 100 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#72Depending on exactly what you need to do, don't discount being able to run Linux boxes on a VPS for very cheap.
For example, I have a small dev/bastion box that I just use Mosh to SSH into. If you're comfortable on the command line, this has a huge number of benefits. E.g. doesn't have to sleep, huge network pipe (especially to your other boxes), using tmux to re-attach to long-running processes, use a tablet or even a phone to do some things, etc.
If I need something that requires a ton of resources, I can spin up a really big machine, do what I need, and only pay for the hours I used it.
This allows me to have a really tiny if slightly underpowered laptop. Even if you don't have your "dev" box on a VPS, offloading your bigger tasks to them can allow you to still get a smaller laptop.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#73I always recommend a ThinkPad. I've been using my T420 for years and it's still holding up great. From what I've seen, the newer laptops are just as durable. I have run OpenBSD, Windows, and various Linux distributions on it without a hitch. Full driver support is the norm since they use very standard parts. I fit three drives in mine and the keyboard is excellent for a laptop.
T430 checking in - this thing is an absolute beast. I run Debian 9 and it's a dream machine.
If fixing/supporting/configuring your own hardware is important to you, then Thinkpads are outstanding. They're easy to work on, powerful, durable, and exactly what a laptop should be.
I even run two configurations because the base laptop was so cheap (~$200 USD)... one is a 4 core i7 with discrete graphics for power, and the other is a 2 core i7 with Intel HD for battery.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#74If travel is your worry a more protective backpack or hard shell case might serve you well. Every "rugged" laptop I've seen is under-specd and over priced.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#75If you like the MBP but want to use GNU/Linux, you don’t need to install it on the MBP’s bare metal. You can use it in a virtual machine. I use my home desktop as a gaming machine (running Windows) and as a coding machine running FreeBSD in a VM and it works great. You probably don’t even need to set up X-Windows on the GNU/Linux guest. You can just run it headless and ssh in from a terminal on the macOS host.
This is what I do as well. I'm usually working on remote linux servers, but if I need to do something locally I ssh to a VM.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#76Thinkpad E560 owner here, bought it a couple of years ago for less than $500 on newegg, installed ubuntu on it and that's it. Dropped it a few times, and work like 8-10 hours a day on it, never had any issue. Solid.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#77I always recommend a ThinkPad. I've been using my T420 for years and it's still holding up great. From what I've seen, the newer laptops are just as durable. I have run OpenBSD, Windows, and various Linux distributions on it without a hitch. Full driver support is the norm since they use very standard parts. I fit three drives in mine and the keyboard is excellent for a laptop.
T480 checking in as well. Love the user-upgradable hardware, swappable batteries, long battery life, etc. All the hardware worked OOTB, and the keyboard is miles ahead of the MBP keyboard (especially the new crappy ones).
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#78I always recommend a ThinkPad. I've been using my T420 for years and it's still holding up great. From what I've seen, the newer laptops are just as durable. I have run OpenBSD, Windows, and various Linux distributions on it without a hitch. Full driver support is the norm since they use very standard parts. I fit three drives in mine and the keyboard is excellent for a laptop.
T450s on Ubuntu. It's been a super-reliable machine. Good battery life and great to type on. Only complaint is that the trackpad sucks. Maybe that's on my and I need to spend more time tweaking libinput; but for Frith's sake, why is Apple the only company in the world that can make a decent fucking trackpad?
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#79Dell XPS has been great for me.
Best laptop I've ever had. Comes with ubuntu.
Re: Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
Compressed air duster didn't fix it?
I have a 2016 Macbook Pro 15" that had the keyboard issue. When it occurred, the problem was not as well known about. It did not feel like a problem caused by dust. Perhaps it was due to the small tolerances in the keyboard mechanism. The B key would only work with a very firm press. Because the laptop was fairly new, I assumed the problem was caused by a manufacturing defect with the frame. The problem was typically…
[deleted]